work and kids

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

Hi! I am a mother of two kid (7 and 9)s..I worked med surg for a year..at present I took a leave of absence for the reason that I dont have somebody to stay with my kids while I am at work.

I wana hear from anyone how you go about your day ( for those single moms) with kids going to school. Who stays with the kids when you leave for work? What other options do we have to continue working in nursing without sacrificing time with the kids. I would want to be around till they leave for school and be home as much as possible when they come back.

Any feedback would greatly be appreciated.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

I dont think youll get much feedback. Everyone has to do what they feel is best for their particular situation. Only you know how your work schedule, salary, family situation, neighborhood, daycare options, childrens school situation and their behavior are. Good luck,, youll figure something out.

I agree with meownsmile. Really, everyone has different situations even if two people are single moms they are going to be different.

I am 24 and a single mom to a 6 year old. I work 12 hour shifts 3 nights a week 645pm-715am.

I am BLESSED to have my parents who keep her those 3 nights a week. I still stay at home until I get my work contract finished which will be in 2005. That was the agreement between my parents and I.

During the day my daughter goes to school. She is in kindergarten and at her school it is full day kindergarten and they have extended care. So like if I work 2 or 3 nights in a row on school days then I can pick her up say around 430pm.

I don't like that very much but right now I don't have much of a choice.

Have you looked into other areas of nursing like doctor office, clinics, public health and things like that.

I know that since my daughter is getting older and wanting to do more and more like dance lessons, girl scouts etc.... I believe more and more that I should personally look into working in a clinic or something that is going to give me more of a normal schedule once I PERSONALLY get some more experience since I have only been out of school for 8 months and a R.N. for 3 months. IF that is not possible then I will probably have to look into other areas.

Those are my ideas and I hope you can find something that really works for you and your kids.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

It sounds to me like you basically have two options:

1. Find a job with hours that roughly correspond to the hours your daughters are in school. Then find a daycare that offers before and after school care (you may not need both though) or find a neighbor who would want to make a little extra money to get them to school. I am assuming you don't have family or a husband to help.

2. Work nights while your daughters are sleeping. Then you are left trying to find someone to keep them while you sleep and that can be tough if you have no family to help. Most nighttime centers aren't that great, and I'm not sure how you would find someone trustworthy to stay all night.

I don't think you will have a lot of luck finding a job that has you home most of the time, but maybe working 3 12 hour shifts would work for you better than 5 8 hour shifts.

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